


the lakes

by heartshapedlollipop



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Best Friends, Childhood Friends, Crime, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Murder, Murder Mystery, if i get carried away with suna dont blame me, like cluedo but haikyuu, theres a lot of murder, this has been in my drafts from lockdown 1
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-14 22:14:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29549169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartshapedlollipop/pseuds/heartshapedlollipop
Summary: a haikyuu x reader crime / thriller / love storymurder is born of love, and love attains the greatest intensity in murder
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Akaashi Keiji/Reader, Bokuto Koutarou/Reader, Kuroo Tetsurou/Reader, Miya Atsumu/Reader, Oikawa Tooru/Reader, Shimizu Kiyoko/Reader, Suna Rintarou/Reader
Kudos: 11





	1. the flood

You always found it so fascinating how things could change so quickly.

For example, one moment your friend had been there- running through the vast greenery of the forest with everyone else, and the next: gone. Just like that.

One moment the newspapers and headlines had been solely focused on the treacherous day-to-day stories of your small and quiet neighborhood. The next hundreds of journalists were traveling far and wide to investigate and report on the murder.

One moment, you had the strongest group of friends you thought you ever would have. The next, you were walking past them in fluorescent high-school hallways, without doing so much as meeting their gaze.

And it had all started, or shall I say ended... with one dismal day at the beginning of December, in Waterthorn forest, when you were twelve years old.

Like most towns in your country, it was typical that the biggest "news story" was that someone across the road had just gotten a new kettle, or that the family who lived nearby had finally cut their grass. Like most towns in your country, the word "interesting" did not apply. In fact, you couldn't even remember a time when the news reporters had spoken like they didn't want to be hit by a truck.

Seriously. That's how boring the town was.

And you couldn't even blame them! Imagine getting paid for reporting the news in the most boring country in the world? You'd rather die!

But since you were twelve, you didn't think much of it and instead chose to live vicariously through your animal crossing town, where the flowers grew bright and stock markets didn't exist. The only market that concerned you was the flea market - because Sterling had the most ICONIC sofa but for some ungodly reason HADN'T put it up for sale? And you couldn't even be mad at him because he was the nicest eagle you had ever met in your life.

For real, no one could top Sterling. Not even your best friend.

Not that Akaashi minded. He claimed he preferred Fuschia over you anyways.

Akaashi had always been your other half (next to Sterling) from the age of four, and it was the type of friendship that was always solid. No matter what went wrong, he was there for you, and he would always help you fix your fuck-ups, and keep you out of trouble.

To some, it was weird you were both so close. He was a shy, well-behaved boy- who kept his schoolwork neat and his manners impeccable. You were, well, the opposite. You spoke your mind and forgot about your assignments and to some people, you seemed like a bit of an asshole.

You weren't, you just liked to talk.

You and Akaashi had spent eight years by each other's side- and you couldn't list a single thing you didn't know about him. If there was a quiz show for Akaashi Keiji's life, you would rank first place, win the million-dollar prize, and probably take the two of you on a yacht around Europe.

_And by god were you thankful he stuck by you after everything went to shit, because you probably would have gone insane if he didn't._

You were part of a small circle of friends. Waterthorn inhabited at most 100 people, and when you weighed it all up- that didn't leave very many kids your age to hang out with. As a result, you had all become part of the same friend group, which for a twelve-year-old, was the recipe to the happiest summer of your entire life.

Just you guys, your bikes, and an endless summer ahead of you. What could go wrong?

_A lot, apparently._

_You didn't even last a month before the sharp knife of July cut you all to the bone._

It was supposed to be the most unforgettable summer of your life. That's what Kuroo had said, at least. And at that time, you were convinced that any word that came from Kuroo Tetsurou's mouth originally came from God himself.

He was like the face of Waterthorn. You didn't know one person who didn't find him at least a little bit attractive. On top of that- he excelled at school, he was always seen taking care of his baby sister, and he had the charisma of a saint. A friend to all, a wonderful big brother, and a child genius. Kuroo was the textbook definition of a perfect child.

Until you got to know him.

Don't get me wrong, he was all of those things and more...but he wasn't exactly the prince charming every girl in a 50-mile distance dreamed of. You had the privilege of knowing THE Kuroo Tetsurou upfront before he was surrounded by the crowds of people dying to know him. You knew the Kuroo Tetsurou who cared too much about his reputation and too little about his own wellbeing. You knew Kuroo when all Kuroo knew was Waterthorn- and that was a privilege in itself.

It was no surprise that he was the leader of your "gang". When he proposed the idea of sneaking into the nearby forest for the night-.. _.that night.._.everyone was immediately on board.

You all lacked adventure, and according to Kuroo this was the "night your lives would truly begin".

_Because sleeping in a broken tent in a freezing cold forest with seven other people (some of which you BARELY knew) was really hotel trivago, wasn't it?_

_Oh how you wished he kept his mouth shut_

But when you were twelve, you weren't one to complain. Your parents were annoying the shit out of you, as most parents do to their twelve-year-old children. Apparently, you had "an insufferable attitude", but you knew that was just parent speak for "we don't have a better comeback to combat your amazing insult, so we're gonna get personal"

You swore you were going insane with the same old daily routine every single day: wake up, get breakfast, help with the dishes, sit in your room, call Akaashi, go to bed. Every day this week had been indistinguishable. You were at the point of boredom where, if a literal demon appeared and asked you to hide him in your cupboard for the rest of your days, you would have agreed- just for a bit of drama.

So, when you woke up that morning with a text from Kuroo asking you all to meet at the foot of the forest at 6:30 pm sharp- you were elated. All you had to do was be a little suck-up to your parents until then, and then very kindly ask if you could stay in Akaashi's for the night. And they wouldn't dare say no to Akaashi. He was like the son they never had.

The plan was foolproof, and all thanks to your trusty friend Daichi Sawamura- AKA, the voice of reason in the group, who made sure everyone's lies were perfectly constructed to avoid anyone getting into trouble. Daichi was like the angel on your shoulder, while Kuroo was the devil. Kuroo thought that everyone could just run off into the forest without any consequences. Kuroo's dad was not very strict.

Daichi made up for what everyone's parents lacked. He kept you all tame and could stop any argument as easy as throwing a pebble into the water. He was headstrong, mature, and always seen with a smile on his face. Everyone, everywhere, trusted Daichi Sawamura with their life.

Sugawara Koushi was his best friend in the entire world. Where Daichi fell short in recklessness, Suga filled in. He was the "mother-figure" of the group and the only son of the town's bakery owner.

_He always dreamt of taking over that bakery and making it his own._

He couldn't wait to have his own creations lined up along the shop window... In all honesty, he was the most ambitious twelve-year-old you had ever met. What sort of twelve-year-old knew what he wanted to do in life? You didn't even know what you wanted for breakfast most mornings. He was born to go places: always baking for you guys, making sure you had all got home safely.

_He was Waterthorn's sweetheart..._

_You wondered why he had to be the martyr for all of this. You wondered what happened for him to wind up the way he did: lifeless in the river that day. You wondered how long it would take you to forget the bloodcurdling image of the body..._

You wondered why Kuroo had chosen the forest of all places to camp out for the night. You tried to ask him, but he replied with one of his typical riddles that made you give up before even trying.

_All you knew back then was that you would be going camping with your friends, and then coming home the next day in time for lunch..._

_y_ _ou had no idea you would leave your entire childhood behind when you left_


	2. wildflowers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the next two chapters are gonna focus on their childhood again smh but then it gets interesting xoxoxo

It was 6:30 pm of the evening you had agreed to meet up in the forest, and Akaashi was waiting downstairs for you, patient as ever.

“y/n! did you remember an extra blanket? You know how cold it can get at nights!” your mother half-scolded as you made your way down the stairs

No, you did not remember an extra blanket. Damn her for getting another one-up on you. You bet she did that on purpose. 

“I have extra at home,” akaashi said, receiving a relieved sigh from your mother,

“See y/n! You should take a page out of his book and learn to be more prepared”

You almost punched her. _Why did she live only to humiliate you?_

Something about being twelve and viewing your mother as the bane of your existence just went hand in hand, like putting marshmallows on hot chocolate. You were a teapot, bubbling with spite, and she was holding her mug in eager anticipation.

You liked the way you kept her humble. Her superiority complex would get out of control if it wasn’t for you. 

“Alright- you know to be on your best behaviour for mr. and mrs. Akaashi tonight, yes y/n?”

You almost forgot you told her you were staying in Akaashi's tonight until she said that.

“Yeah of course mom.”

“See you both later! Have fun and don’t stay up too late!”

_Oh how ironic those words would come to be…_

\------

The clinking of bicycle chains set up a rhythm for your trek to the forest, with your complaints as its song

“She’s so annoying! She shouted at me for not cleaning my room when I was literally just about to clean it! Do you know how frustrating that is?!”

You supposed akaashi _did not know_ how frustrating that was. Because he was an angel. He kept his room shining and always scrubbed the floors before being asked. You would have bet he never even knew how it felt to be shouted at.

But you ranted anyways, and he listened with all his heart

The forest came into vision, with its sun-dappled branches obscuring your view of the clouds. The cobblestone you had just trekked on had replaced itself with the soft crunching of dirt beneath your feet

You thought the waterthorn forest was magical. Everyone did, at some stage in their lives. It was passed down like folklore amongst generations. Infamous stories of old ladies and witches and lonely little ghosts re-told themselves the further you walked and left the comfort of your hometown behind. It was terrifying, and you were more glad than ever to have Akaashi standing tall at your side. 

_Just in case..._

“So we wait for them here, yeah?” you whispered, the sound of cracking branches in the near distance making you want to bolt straight out of there and to your room again. What the hell made Kuroo think this was a good idea? Why couldn’t you just do what normal twelve-year-olds did and vandalize cars or some shit? 

“He said something about a willow tree…” Akaashi nodded to you, leading the way in the silent understanding of your fears

You walked a little behind him with the tightest upper lip you could muster. No way in hell were you gonna be the one to chicken out of this. You would grin and bear it and _live your damn life_. Anything beat sitting at home being scolded all day by your headache of a mother. 

You hopped over a few loose twigs in the ground and gripped tight to your bicycle handles. After the initial fear, you realized how peaceful this place actually was. You were just being a drama queen! This was lovely!

_And then you saw him, and cursed karma for leading you to believe this was peaceful in the slightest._

Because Miya Atsumu and the word “peaceful” could not co-exist. Ever.

The only way to describe Miya Atsumu was to think of an asshole. Then stop. 

He was boisterous, he was egotistical, he was rude, he was messy, and he was a massive fucking bitch. Atsumu was the type of boy to push you into the mud and then claim it was an accident. And he always got let off with it too!

_You know, because “boys will be boys” and other dumbass excuses to allow men to be assholes_

Why couldn’t it have been Osamu, instead? Osamu was Atsumu’s twin. He had the same black hair, the same tall build. But he was so… different. He was a little quieter, a little bit better behaved.

_Clearly a little bit smarter, since he had refused to come along on this sleepover._

\-----

You first decided you didn’t like Atsumu the first week he moved to Waterthorn. You may or may not have been showing off, and you may or may not have tripped over something and landed face-first on the pathway in front of him. And you may or may not have been so embarrassed you almost cried. But you were embarrassed, not a pussy- so you sucked those tears back in like your life depended on it

But then, just when you were recovering from the future memory that would keep you up at night, he laughed and called you an idiot straight up in front of all your friends.

_Evil. you were pretty sure he came straight from hell to curse you for all your sins._

“Idiot?” you remember asking through the red-bound rage, “you think that’s a good insult, asshole? How fucking creative,”

His stupid smirk burned clear in your mind to that day, calling out your “disgusting language” for a twelve-year-old girl

So what? You started swearing early because you didn't let anyone tell you what words not to say! You were a bad bitch! You did whatever the fuck you wanted!

You remembered Kuroo pulling you aside later that day to warn you not to get on Atsumu's bad side. Something about him not being as passive-aggressive as he seemed, something about him holding grudges.

_Something about you blocked the urge to give a fuck_

You didn’t care if he was aggressive. You didn’t care that Kuroo was trying to protect you from him. You didn’t care about anything that left his stupid ugly mouth. 

And from that day on, you swore you would never be friends, or even be in the same circle as him again. You threatened social suicide to spite a new boy who embarrassed you, because if _they_ wanted to be your friend, then _they_ would just have to leave his sorry ass on the side of the road. 

But Kuroo, ever the older-brother figure you had always lacked, never gave up on trying to make you like Atsumu. 

“Come on, y/n,” he begged one day when you refused to come out and play, “he’s just a challenge! You love a challenge!”

_You loved a challenge. Not a fucking asshole._

_\--------_

Atsumu stood at the base of the willow tree, snapping twigs off of branches and talking to a girl you hadn’t seen before in your life. Did he have a sister or something? Were you not paying attention when she joined the group? _Who the hell was she?_

The girl, you concluded, couldn’t have been his sister- nor anywhere close to his bloodline. Because she was the most beautiful girl you had ever seen in your life. It actually made you shuffle shyly on your way toward them, instead of marking your stride with proud stomps.

Not that you would admit any of that, not even to God

She had silky black hair that fell just past her shoulders and stood tall in a matching grey tracksuit. She wore glasses that framed her face, and if you looked close enough- she even had a beauty mark!

She really was the whole package!

“y/n! Akaashi! Glad ya could make it!”

The voice of the ringleader himself- Kuroo Tetsurou 

“Well, we weren’t gonna back out last minute,” you grumbled slightly, ignoring the fact you had actually contemplated running away just minutes ago.

“Wouldn’t surprise me if ya did-” Atsumu whistled, but Kuroo was quick to divert the conversation. He was a pro in avoiding fights breaking out, after all.

You hated to let a potential argument go, but your attention on the new girl was much more prevalent

“y/n, this is kiyoko. Kiyoko this is y/n. Akaashi, kiyoko. Kiyoko, Akaashi”

Kiyoko. Kiyoko. 

“It's lovely to meet you both,” she spoke with a voice as soft as a lulling angel. _Surely she couldn’t be real. Surely not. She was almost too perfect. It almost made you question her._

“Nice to meet you too,” you nodded back, and the loud voices of two of your remaining friends drew you out of your transfixed state 

“Sorry to keep you guys waiting!”

_His voice was still soft in your mind…_

“ _Daichi_ took an extra twenty minutes to get dressed!” Sugawara laughed, skipping up to meet you all in your little circle

Daichi followed, laughing and panting, “sorry I didn’t know what to pack for a secret night in the forest- it's not my typical weekend adventure,” he rolled his eyes, playfully shoving his best friend and presenting a bag to you all

Everyone crowded around it, unaware of what the hell he could be stashing in there and as curious to find out as your minds would let you be

“Dude, you literally look like you could hide a body in this thing, what the hell is in it?” Atsumu said and you bit back the urge to smack him

Kuroo unzipped it from the top and let his face fall open, “you literally got us a tent?! NO WAY?!”

“Figured sleeping on the grass could lead to weird bug diseases-” he laughed, his hand on the back of his neck, “my dad never uses it so i doubt he’ll even notice its gone,”

Just like Daichi to provide both logic and safety for you all. Without him, you would probably have caught hypothermia or some shit. 

“And I brought brownies!” suga added in, “I told my mom we were having a sleepover n’ they let me raid the bakery for you guys-” he grinned, shaking his backpack to allude to everything inside. _of course he did that for you guys..._

“This is gonna be so fucking fun…” Kuroo trailed off with a sparkle in his eye, “we just need one more person-”  
  
“Oikawa right?” Akaashi asked him, pointing to a small figure darting toward them in the woods, “i think that may be him,”

Oikawa Tooru was a kid who lived on the outskirts of your neighborhood, and you spoke to him at most twice- forming no opinion of him other than he was loud and hated bugs. Kuroo had met him the same way he had met most of the other neighborhoods- through his adventures in solitude. 

Kuroo was a mysterious person, and often refused point-blank to tell anyone his whereabouts when he wished them to be secret, so it really was no surprise when he turned up one day with the chestnut-haired boy, announcing him an honorary member of the waterthorn friend group.

“I’m here!” he announced with glee, ignoring Atsumu reminding him he was actually late and skipping ahead, “I know the perfect place to set up camp, just follow!”

Oikawa Tooru may not have been the leader, but he knew exactly what he wanted, and he wasn’t stopping to let anyone overtake him, so you all sheepishly followed in the name of not having anything better to suggest

You stayed close to Akaashi and far from Atsumu, opting to take this time to truly admire the nature around you

For a twelve-year-old living in the boring brick-ed town of Waterthorn, forests and greenery were rare outside of this one, so much that the venture into it felt forbidden, magical even- in itself

You felt the thick scent of pine and fresh air captivate your lungs, and the sounds of the town’s building site soon drowned themselves out with the chirping of birds and the flowing of the river

_that river..._

you could see pine trees and acorns, and squirrels and insects exploring the forest alongside you- and for a moment you felt insignificant to the stressors of life. It was beautiful… 

“it’s like a cage” Atsumu said

\------

Oikawa led you all to an opening in the trees- one that looked as though it had been visited plenty of times beforehand. Apparently, his big sister brought him here not too long ago, and they spent most of their time in this area

it looked as though it were carved out just for a tent and an area to stay

_convenient, you decided._

“so! Step one to making a fire is to get wood!” Kuroo stood on top of a tree stump, gathering the small group's attention- “I say two of us remain at base and the rest fetch the materials. I call it that I get to stay here so thanks for your time-“ he grinned, hopping off the stump again

“I CALL STAYING TOO-“ Atsumu yelled from his position in that stupid shrill voice of his.

_How the hell was he ever going to have any friends with a voice like that? god he was insufferable_

“y/n, are you ready to go get the firewood?” Akaashi asked, outstretching his hand for you to take. and snapping you right out of your thought.

_Of course, he would be coming with you. Your job was to protect each other after all, wasn't it?_


	3. blurry visions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks to everyone who's read this so far wtf

When the fire lit up your faces in the once dark forest, you finally felt relaxed. Whether it was the newfound warmth, light, or bonds you didn’t know- but it was nice. Peaceful, even.

Okay, maybe peace was a stretch, but you weren’t afraid of being attacked anymore! That was something! 

Kuroo was talking about his mother- a conversation topic you knew he had never breached upon beforehand. His tone commanded respect, and not one person did so much as move while he spoke. 

It hurt to imagine someone as carefree and chilled out as Kuroo suffering from so much at such a young age, especially now- when he paused between sentences to swallow harder than before, and when his voice lowered and cracked like the fire in front of him.

He had his entire guard down tonight in the forest. The trees were the only other guests at this party of confession, and even they seemed to sway lighter than usual in a solemn sorrow for all he had gone through. 

That lit the fuse for Sugawara to speak- sharing his own hardships of high expectations and a low tolerance for disappointing his parents.

You would never have guessed that of all people, Sugawara would be one to feel like he wasn’t good enough. Because as far as anyone else was concerned, he was perfect down to the shape of his veins… 

Daichi went next- giving a more hopeful outlook to the situation and stating how his dream was to become a police officer and solve crime, and then Oikawa bragged about how, one day, he was going to be a world-famous volleyball player. Atsumu told him to keep dreaming, and then proclaimed he had faced no hardships in his life. Not even one, not ever.

He was a mystery, folded between the pages of a dusty book in the corner of a vacant library, with bolts and sensors and brass locks on the front doors.

You and Akaashi told them the story of your friendship, and Kiyoko mentioned how she loved to sprint 

“That’ll come in handy if we get chased down by a murderer,” Atsumu grinned, kicking a few pebbles in front of him, “unfortunately y/n has a habit of falling on her face- so she’ll be the sacrifice,”

“It happened once asshole, build a bridge,” you retorted with a sour expression.

Once more, Kuroo was quick to change the subject. Ths time you felt a little bad, cus he had just mentioned his dislike for arguments and here you were initiating a full-on brawl with Atsumu only 10 seconds after.

Suga volunteered immediately. He needed to stretch his legs anyway, he said, he wanted to explore a little

“Daichi,” Kuroo said, gesturing toward Suga with a knowing grin, “why don’t you accompany him?”   


You noticed Daichi’s face turn fifty shades of red and stifled a laugh. Daichi had a thing for Suga- it was well-known since they met to everyone except for the target of affection himself. 

“...Of course, Kuroo,” Daichi said, giving him a look of what you can only guess was a playful glare

And they were off.

  
  


\------

As time ticked by, you couldn’t help but notice how uncomfortable your damn sleeping bag was. The tent was big enough for all of you, but you vowed not to go to bed until everyone was back with the firewood

_ But seriously, it had been about two hours! Where the hell were they? _

“Can someone like, call one of them?” you grumbled to Kuroo, sinking into Kiyoko’s sleeping figure next to you. You were both squeezed onto a fold-up chair with at least six blankets tight around you to keep the sudden blows of wind from freezing you to death.

“They’re probably making out or some shit,” Kuroo laughed from his position on the tree stump

“And Its not even that cold-” Atsumu said. 

“Noone asked you-” you had replied, and ignored his snarky responses

You didn’t want to be the one to admit it, but this was a terrible idea. With two of the group still gone collecting firewood and the rest huddling under coats and blankets to stay conscious, you concluded that actually, staying at home might have been a better idea.

“Kuroo, this was a really fucking shitty idea,” Atsumu huffed after another ten minutes of waiting. 

You couldn’t have put it better yourself

“This was a great idea and you know it,” kuroo said, tugging his hood up over his head and holding his phone up in the air, “except for the fact this spot has no fucking signal”   


_ Great. Another thing your mom was gonna kill you for- not replying to her texts. Oh, joy.  _

Silence filled the ar again, and you saw Akaashi- laying in a sleeping bag and drifting off to sleep. You decided to fuck it and sleep too. Why would you force yourself awake just because Daichi wanted to make out with his best friend under some tree?

You felt Atsumu throw a pebble at you from his position on the ground, clearly trying to rile you up. And in an even smarter attempt to rile him up, you ignored it and fell asleep

\------

Screaming.

Screaming was what woke you up and grounded you to reality.

Screaming was the last sound you heard before your innocence was washed away.

Not screaming as in an annoyance that jolts you awake and makes you want to punch the nearest person. Screaming as in… hysterical, bloodcurdling, desperate

Screaming as in murder.

For a night you can remember in such excruciating detail, this part was nothing but a blur.

A blur of Akaashi’s hands, of holding him tight, of clutching Kiyoko. You don’t remember experiencing fear like that ever before.

It only got worse.

Kuroo and Atsumu followed the pleading howls and wails after concluding it had been from Daichi, while you, Kiyoko, and Akaashi stayed to guard the tent

Oikawa had disappeared.

When they came back, Daichi was inconsolable: tears covering his face, bloodied screams of pain, begging for them to go back. To go back and see who did it

You couldn’t remember much, but Atsumu looked at you with shaky hands and slowly announced, with words that barely seemed to come from his mouth,

“Suga’s dead…”


End file.
